MaxQuest

I've been thinking if I want a Goldpact over Darcozzi in the next run. With 10 survival, priest and Wit Dyr Jerky (+3 acc) I didn't encounter real accuracy problems. Yet I've had a few knockdowns when my chanter/barb got confused or dominated at the same time as my priest (who was responsible for 'unshackling'). That made me looking at the Bond of Duty as a pre lvl-13 solution.

Just note me down as sad, because Vielo Vidorio doesn't stack with DAoM and other AttackSpeedMult buffs Plus aside from mid-game alpha-striking, I don't really see how she's not superseded by a Darcozzi or Goldpact hireling in overall utility.

I was thinking of might and intensity as of current and voltage (although imagining a flow of inner energy/mana/w/e rather than electrons). But yeah, good point. Without caveats they indeed seem to overlap.

Feel a bit conflicted on having Pallegina AND Eder in party at the same time. As usually a custom paladin can combine the tankiness + utility in just one character. Aside from that, here are the thoughts: v1. General use: frontline: Pallegina (utility offtank), Eder (main tank), Aloth (1h+shield, focused exclusively on crowd-control) backline: Cipher (borresaine/sabra, cc+dps), Priest (moongodlike, fire), Cipher (persistence/cloudpiercer/rain, dps+cc) v2. General use: frontline: Eder (main tank), chanter (tank, dragon trashed), druid (1h+shield, shifting+storms) midline: Pallegina (starts with arquebus shot, switches to 1h+shield) backline: Aloth (golden gaze/gyrd/kalakoth), Priest (moongodlike, fire) v3. Alpha-strike team: (heavy micro) frontline: Eder (main tank)), chanter (min MIG, aefillath/sure-handed, tank), Aloth (1h+shield) backline: priest, Pallegina (starts with arquebus shot), cipher (starts with Lead Spitter shot)

So I have finished my current playthrough, and thus benchmarking the chanter's damage. This is what I've got after the Thaos fight: Even despite of fights being very quick (for reference killing Llengrath + dragons took 27 seconds of unpaused normal time), chanter was able to passively squeeze huge amounts of damage, and ended up on top despite of barbarian and dps cipher being some real killing machines. P.S. For reference, here is the previous update (for levels 9-13): P.P.S. Random stats: - total damage dealt (party): 800913 - total damage taken (party): 148536 - total enemies killed (party): 3209 - total time: 79h (completionist: wm1 + wm2 + all bounties and companion quests) Adding a few videos: - General Playstyle: link - Cliaban Spores: link - Nalrend Bounty: link - Magran Bounty: link - Brynlod Bounty: link - vs Adra Dragon: link - vs Alpine Dragon: link - vs Llengrath: link

Random thought... what if INT attribute would mean Intensity? - increases the duration of CC spells - reduces the duration of DoT spells that deal fixed damage, making the same amount being applied faster; while DoT's with no fixed damage just linger for longer and thus deal more damage - a more intense storm usually covers a wider area, so there: increased AoE - if a beneficial spell was casted with higher intensity - it's effect will linger for longer - hence +% duration. So a barbarian with high INT would just mean that he makes a more intense use of his ability to slash several enemies in one swing. On a similar note DEX could be renamed to Quickness - as this is what it actually does. And PER to Finesse - as being more exact allows you to easier hitting the vital spot. Additionally goes well with fast weapons needing to crit more often then slow harder-hitting ones, in order to overcome DR. And there is no problem with Quickness and Finesse influencing Reflex either.

Yeap, there are. And atm I think we can't find perfect explanations for this, simply because the system was not build with realistic attributes in mind. I mean the focus was shifted towards bringing a large variety of fail-safe builds instead. I guess. It would take infinite effort / amount of energy though. Blame game designers) As far as backward rationalization goes, Citzal could be viewed as weirdo due to his love of solving problems in melee. Majority of wizards could prefer decimating their enemies via just spells instead, and since they can't cast and auto-attack at the same time... they focus on the former, resulting in self-buffing spells being so limited. Btw, there is no stamina in this game. And if you are referring to endurance... yeah that could make a great end/hp manipulating warlock character. I still miss the drain-tanking style of SL-SL from the Burning Crusade days.. A character can have that "soul-power", "inner power", "inner energy" or whatever, which is used to fuel the action he is performing. But first he should define/create/imagine the form of that action. Think of rune magic. One draws a rune. And it's not active yet. You have to channel your energy into it, in order for it to start working. Wizards can imagine the form of a spell and pour part of their energy for it to activate. Fighters can't, as they simply lack needed knowledge. Ofc if they find a scroll and understand it (lore skill), they can make it work. But without special education they seem to lack the ability to learn the spells permanently, maybe their memory is not that well trained in order to invoke the exact form of the spell from memory? Imo, these are legit questions. Personally I like immersion and mechanics. I mean I usually play the first playthough for the story and immersing in the world, While the second and furthermore ones are dedicated to character optimization. In PoE1 though, attributes and non-intuitivity of attack speed system, have pushed me out of the flow, and inclined towards learning mechanics right of the bat. The spirits help you ;p While in the state of part-trance, the experience of hundreds of ancestors helps you guide your hand. Well maybe) Other possible rationalization could be: like wizards use the visual representations of spell forms (drawn or imagined), chanters use their voice to modulate specific waveforms as well. It's a usual thing in rpgs for some kind of sirens to enchant their enemies. In this case a chanter could direct this upon himself. Or think of a bard that can bolster/motivate his allies, but in his chanting state of trance he gains the ability to affect himself. But again, this is backward rationalization. It's the system which should actually explain this.

Fast one-handed weapons with speed enchant. The ones I listed have 20 frames attack duration (rapiers: 19.1), while Strike Hard has 30, which makes it (dex and delay aside) x1.5 slower. P.S. Just a reminder for other new forumers that might stumble upon this thread later on: speed enchant on weapon does not affect casting speed/duration. These weapons were recommended to reduce the recovery between a weapon swing and the actual start of casting.

Equip a fast weapon then) Forgotten Tear of the Beloved, St. Wygelt's Cudgel, Captain Viccilo's Anger, Spelltongue (if you are not going to durganize it, cose of the bug) are great utility weapons for a paladin tank. But yeah, the fastest gonna be: Rêghar Konnek, March Steel Dagger, Unforgiven, The Unlabored Blade (can't be durganized) and Sword of Daenysis

A cipher that has high MIG and very often uses powers that deal damage in AoE. Depending on the build it can be melee or ranged. Let's say you have 4 per-rest usages of rank 1 spells. When you master a rank-1 spell, you get 1 per-encounter usage of that specific spell, on top of those per-rest usages. So for example you can use Slicken 5 times, and in the next fight, that 1 per-encounter usage will be ready again. Usually 1, because usually that's enough But yes you can cast it 5 times)

I have played with a wizard specced into Blast+PenBlast with GoldenGaze / Kalakoth's Minor Blights. It's really solid in the early-mid game. This wizard has potential to compete with the dedicated dps'ers and for instance can surpass damage-oriented barbarian for awhile. But in the late game... naa, this wizard falls behind badly. Chanter starts to heavily surpass him from lvl 9 (Dragon Trashed). Barbarian also takes a heavy step forward around those levels, and even more at lvl 11 (HoF). And damage-oriented cipher will out-double/triple this wizard as well. Personally I'd say it actually is game changing. Being able to start every fight with a mastered Shadowflame followed by mastered Slicken, allows you to rofl-stomp majority of non-boss/bounty fights. Add there mastered DAoM which allows to save on potions, and Combusting Wounds / Bewildering Spectacle and your wizard has achieved top utility for the party.

*types, types... remembers of Poe's Law... ohh* Tbh, I was thinking it would be nice to have an even higher difficulty, a completely bonkers one. That would feel to a 6-man party, almost as current PotD for a solo.

Tbh I always perceived the MIG attribute in PoE1 as power. - If your character is a fighter, he uses physical power to swing that axe. - If your character is a wizard, he uses whatever physical power he has, plus somewhat augments it with his magic abilities. I mean if he can hurl a fireball or transmit enough kinetic energy to the various missiles he can fire, he can probably make a hack of some mundane weapon a bit more impactful as well. I had more problems in rationalizing Dominate though. Charming is subtle, and intelligence + perception is enough. But domination? It's like a brutal suppression/crumbling of someone else will. No? Would it make sense if MIG would add to accuracy roll of domination effects, but provided that powers like Puppet Master will have the inherent +10 acc bonus reduced to +5?

- I would also consider Boreal Dwarf for recommended races. You can get +2 MIG as with aumaua, plus +15 acc vs 2/6 of creature categories is really neat, especially assuming that with beasts and vessels you can have a priest to deal with, while xaurips and other trash is on barbarian. - Regarding lore: you don't need 5), it's either 4, 6 or 8. - If you rely on Shod-in-Faith proc'ing, you might also want to try Swaddling Sheet cloak. Love this combo. - You might spare one ability slot, specifically Threatening Presence is an overkill IF you have a priest with Painful Interdiction, because Weakened overrides Sickened effect. - He Carries Many Scars - is a top choice armor, but I think it's worth listing 2 possible alternatives: Hunter's Mail (which goes well with the healing theme of the build) and Blackwarden's Breastplate (could be useful during dragon fights due to the +15 acc)

That's understandable. And as long as he at least lurks here, I am ok with that. Otherwise posting in the threads from wishlist/feedback category feels a little bit pointless. There is one thing though,.. you can learn a lot by lurking and keeping an eye on player-to-player discussions, but what if you have a direct question, or some interesting and crazy idea and would like the quick help of collective mind in order to outline the potential shortcomings?)

Is that some kind of trend? I mean giving wine some ****ty names... see more..

Well, as Smijjames mentioned many users, me included, were pointing out that she looked too tired I see that Lindsey also slightly adjusted the background and her clothing. P.S. Interesting what exactly does Pommel Strike do (i.e. what its damage bonus / stun duration is)? In the end it has the cost of 4 discipline compared to knockdown costed just 1.

On account of what, giving you extra Fireballs? Well, technically it is. It is pretty bad from from auto-attacking perspective since there are better alternatives. But at the same time it's a simple sabre with basically 3 "Bonus rank 3 spell" talents, although hard-selected to be fireballs. But yes, generally I understood your stance, and I agree that it would be nice to have weapons that augment spells power, effects or duration. Heh, atm I have my ranged fire priest running with Abydon's hammer, because of the per-encounter stun and 4 MIG. What about wizard + staff stereotype? I was under impression that some staves make it easier to channel direct spells. And serves as some conductors of sorts. Looks pretty accurate. If only he would add a bit of hardcore to that elitism, because atm Obsidian does balance the game only around Normal and Hard difficulties, which means... little love for rogues, and single-target dps builds.

Tbh I felt a bit conflicted about Llengrath and Thaos. Regarding Llengrath I had the following attitude: oh you are ****y and want to fight? Come and get it. But because her spells/grimoire will be lost when importing to Deadfire, and because there was a mentioning that Mental Prowess talent might get into the sequel, ok, I'll make a pact with you. So I don't really know what to answer. Regarding Thaos: [returning his soul to the cycle], [banishing] or [erasing his memory] felt like non-options, because any god as I understood could easily revert it. Thus I was choosing the "destroy his soul" every single time. And because of what he did to Iovara it's kinda obvious that it is the last choice (i.e. "Destroy his soul, stating that he has caused too much pain and deserves to die"). At the same time I would gladly lock him into the soul prison, if I was 100% sure that he would remain there.

@omgFIREBALLS, to an extend there are already a few "casting" weapons. For example The Flames of Fair Rhîan sabre. Although yes, it's still more effective on a let's say rogue than on a spellcaster. Tbh I like that idea, and can imagine: - a monk/cipher with a staff that makes it easier to channel powers, and for example either provides a bonus to power level, or has some sort of passive "speed" that also speeds up casting; or has a chance to hit all enemies in a straight line - or a a paladin with some sort of holy sword that increases all fire damage and/or healing dome - or a wand that comes with a channeling ability which steal 2 power_levels every 3s from a target enemy etc

The difference between Normal and Hard is quite small. It's hard to believe that you did not have to deal with stun, stun, plague of insects and dominate on Normal. Even on PotD, save scumming is not necessary so long as you have a general idea what to expect and have built your party accordingly. Yes, Fireballs are pretty bad from totalDamageDealt perspective. Unless you solo, do not look at your wizard as at a source of damage. Focus on his crowd-control potential. Slicken, Shadowflame, Mass Confusion, Call to Slumber, Gaze of Adragan are awesome. Don't forget to master the first two. It actually does. Suppress Affliction temporary stops the ticking of the current DoTs that are affecting your characters. It doesn't help against further applications. Also it's obviously poor choice if your party lacks damage, and fails to kill the enemy, while SA is in effect. Also you know that you can disable those Mepwgra right? Or for example charm them, so they will cast their AoEs on your enemies instead. As for engagement, there are rules as well. Along other stuff, enemies are checking DR, Defences and distance to all of your characters; calculating a specific proportion and depending on result deciding whom is best for them to attack. By embracing Zen and learning mechanics. P.S. With that attitude towards enemy DoTs and Domination, good luck at Clîaban Rilag.

Good point. This made me thinking how good would be a compromise route? I.e. MC paladin can join Pallegina's order from character creation or even better via some mid-game quest; while custom hirelings - can't.

It would be also great to have a button on Character Creation screen that would open the Cyclopedia (specifically: Status Effects and Mechanics), because there arise many unanswered questions when trying to create a character for the very first time.

Your shields and weapons (aside from Spelltongue, which places a buff) have no effect upon your recovery_duration after casting a spell. Although, they do affect their own recovery, so in a way yes: if you are not at zero recovery, you will be able to start casting a spell slightly earlier if you just made an attack with dagger in comparison to: if you just made an attack with a sword. It doesn't matter. Shield size influences only the accuracy penalty, and the value of reflex bonus you get from 1H&Shield talent. Yes and no. Calculation of recovery_duration after casting a spell, follows the same general rules. Currently you can select dual-fists, and (with VA and TWS off) get an estimation of how does your casting and casting_recovery durations do change proportionally. I.e. you can estimate the relative change. But for absolute change estimation you need to keep in mind that the base values (for fists and spells) are different. Specifically: - dw fists: 20 frames attack + 16.66 recovery duration - usual fast spell: 35 + 29 - usual average spell: 60 + 50 - usual slow spell: 120 + 100 - unusual fast spell: 84 + 8 (eyestrike, whispers of treason) - unusual slow spell: 143 + 8 (ringleader) P.S. wizard in durganized scale armor + gauntlets of Swift Action + DAoM potion/spell can cast with no recovery, no matter what shield or weapon he has equipped.

With patch 1.20 and "Auto Apply Oils" mod there is no stress now)